The Next Chapter

20: Stars

Darlene woke up in a cold sweat, horrifying images etched into her mind. She kept having these intrusive thoughts of what could've happened that day, yesterday actually. She glanced at her clock. 2:38.

Only a couple hours ago did Bexley come check on her for what might've been the sixth time since they got home. Josh was with Ana most of the night, trying to get her to sleep. Penny had wandered into her room at one point, sleeping on the small sofa in the corner of her room. She didn't mind though. It was nice having her sister so close.

Not long after getting home, Daniel called her, just to check on her. They didn't talk long, it was more or less reassurance that the other was okay. Darlene could hear Penny on the phone with Roman, and then Gwen earlier on too.

After tossing and turning for a while, she rolled put of her bed and quietly made her way into the kitchen.

"Hey, squirt," Ben whispered from over a cup of coffee. Darlene stopped short.

"Sorry, I-"

"Couldn't sleep? Me either," Ben set his mug down, grabbing another from the cabinet.

"Nightmares, or did you not even make it that far?" Ben filled the second mug with coffee, passing it to Darlene.

"Nightmares," Darlene replied, taking a sip. She was surprised when the drink wound up being sweet, not at all like coffee.

"Hot chocolate, better than drinking caffeine at two in the morning," Ben caught her confused glance. Darlene nodded, sitting at the bar chair across from him.

"Is anyone else up?" Darlene glanced around the dark room.

"Most of the house, I think. I know the younger kids are sleeping, but the rest of us aren't," Ben replied. Darlene nodded, taking a sip of her hot chocolate to avoid answering. Ben leaned against the counter, staring at the floor. Neither said anything, not wanting the break the fragile silence of the house. Eventually, Ben placed his mug in the sink before facing Darlene.

"I'm gonna head to my room, kid," he offered a weak smile.

"Okay," Darlene gave a small nod.

"Hey, the stars are out tonight," he added before strolling away. Darlene knit her eyebrows, wandering out to the balcony. There were never visible stars in New York city. She settled into a seat, curling her legs beneath her while resting the mug on her knee.

Ignoring the chill of the late winter air, she looked upwards. The stars seemed no more visible than any other night. She could see maybe five stars dotting the night sky, and she could see the blue moon. It was a waning moon, the full moon was four days ago. The stars were easier to see in the outskirts of the city, where she grew up. She used to look at the stars as a child, imagining she was Rapunzel from Tangled and her real family was far away somewhere. She later learned that the illusion she had created was nothing more than just that, a dream created by a lonely girl.

Her eyes traveled downwards to the busy city. It was quieter at night, but never silent. She could still here taxis honking and the occasional drunk on the streets below. The streets were always her realm, that's where she always belonged. She never thought she could one day be safe on her balcony, just above them.

She looked up again, not all the way. She saw occasionally illuminated windows across the buildings. Like stars. Each person had a story as to what they were doing up at this hour. Some might be getting ready for work, reveling in the quiet before a busy day until they returned home, going to bed early to wake up again before the sun. Some might've never gone to bed, committing to all their homework so they didn't need to stress about it throughout the week. Others might be just like her, haunted by memories, constantly waking up in cold sweats.

Each window was comparable to a star. Some were further than others, some had a brighter light, some might turn off before the rest. But they were all individual, all had their own stories, they all were special.

Darlene settled with that. She couldn't look down, and fall into the depths of her past. Looking up to far into her future, it frankly hurt her neck. But looking straight ahead, at all these people who could be the exact same or completely different, she could do that for now.